{"id":754,"date":"2021-04-06T13:33:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T12:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/?page_id=754"},"modified":"2021-04-07T09:42:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T08:42:14","slug":"background-reading-and-writing-prompts-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/background-reading-and-writing-prompts-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Background Reading and Writing Prompts 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Celebrating Spring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Simon Fletcher<\/em> – April Orchard<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Close to Home<\/em>, Headland, 2015<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

April Orchard<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Compact cerise balloons are filling up
with apple promise, scent the wind-blown trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wasp chews paper from the grey shed door
while steel blue swallows clip the lawn for flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some pear trees are already clouds of cream,
their seed-black anthers courting mellow fruit.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Kuli Kohli<\/em> \u2013 Season of Freedom<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From A Wonder Woman<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2021<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Season of Freedom<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After the long, miserable captivity of winter,
there is a sprig of light.
I feel I have been freed from a dark cell,
a treacherous, frozen fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My escape comes with new vibrant life
as doomed icicles melt.
Hope for people as restricted as me \u2013
a freedom that’s heartfelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I step into the green, where blossom falls \u2013
celebrating a liberty of ease;
I feel as if I fly among migrating birds
after the galling frosty freeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stripped naked trees once again clothe
in budding green shaded outfits;
in confidence, creatures camouflage
to a safety that secretly outwits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love spring, it carries a gliding freedom
of happiness, colour, life.
Where days are longer, warmer, sunnier;
I can walk, smile without strife.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Selected haiku<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Bethany Rivers<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Ripening Cherries<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2019<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

first shout of spring
a lone daffodil
beneath the hedge<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Sally Bevington<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Ripening Cherries<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2019<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

beneath the water
tadpoles in balls
of black-eyed jelly<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Jackie Evans<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Ripening Cherries<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2019<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

bright sunlight
after torrential showers
glinting raindrop pearls<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

David Bingham<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From The Chatter of Crows,<\/em> Offa\u2019s Press, 2014<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

stargazing \u2013
petals of crocus
closed up tight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

this moment,
closer to death than birth \u2013
pink cherry blossom<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Frogspawn\"
Frogspawn<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Robert Frost (1874 – 1963) – <\/em>Putting in the Seed<\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n

Putting in the Seed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You come to fetch me from my work tonight
When supper\u2019s on the table, and we\u2019ll see
If I can leave off burying the white
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea),
And go along with you ere you lose sight
Of what you came for and become like me,
Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How love burns through the putting in the seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Jane Seabourne \u2013<\/em> Spring Cleaning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Our Beautiful Scars<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2017<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Spring Cleaning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Tortoiseshells hibernated \u2013
top landing of our old house \u2013 
folded in on themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A swirly green dress \u2013 
sky-high hemline \u2013 
hibernates in my wardrobe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say hibernate \u2013 <\/em>more like
Sleeping Beauty coma \u2013 
it has been there so long<\/p>\n\n\n\n

following me \u2013 
house-move to house-move \u2013 
never wanting to let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every spring 
I shake it out \u2013
those can\u2019t-help-but-smile colours \u2013 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

heart-breaking
the way that dress
still expects a good time \u2013 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

hasn\u2019t twigged yet  – 
church-hall discos
the odd snog from a village boy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

was as good as it was ever going to get \u2013 
even for a dress
as San Francisco as this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some time 
I have been marvelling
how mighty girls are these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think of the top landing \u2013 
butterflies \u2013 
how they tackle spring<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

Jeff Phelps \u2013<\/em> Spring Funeral<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From Wolverhampton Madonna<\/em>, Offa\u2019s Press, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Spring Funeral<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Frogs have occupied the shallows of the pond.
This first April sun has brought them out,
to squat under leaves,
their liquid eyes digesting light,
black throats quivering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should have been here, amongst friends
to see them. You would have showed us
how words can dissect
as exquisitely as blades,
assuring us that here is a renewal
we must go on sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They seem to multiply.
By an optical trick there are more
each time we look:
khaki heads bubbling up,
two where we thought there was one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would know
they wouldn\u2019t let us touch them.
But still we try,
our hands outstretching slowly.
They slip away at the last moment,
flop sideways into deeper water,
leaving us in mid-gesture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n

A.E. Housman<\/em> \u2013 From<\/em> A Shropshire Lad<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From The Poetry of Shropshire, <\/em>Offa\u2019s Press, 2013<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

From<\/em> A Shropshire Lad<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

II<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, of my three-score years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score
It only leaves me fifty more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Spring Writing Suggestions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

1.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

In April Orchard<\/em>, Simon Fletcher draws our attention to some colours of spring \u2013 cerise, cream, grey, blue, black. Write down some colours you typically associate with spring, or that you\u2019ve seen while out and about. Then list words you associate with that colour, to start building up images for a poem. Are there any surprising colours on your list?<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

2.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Kuli Kohli\u2019s poem Season of Freedom <\/em>describes how she has more confidence to get out and about in spring. Are you looking forward to activities in spring which you\u2019re unable to do over winter?<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

3.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

The haiku from David Bingham, Bethany Rivers, Sally Bevington, and Jackie Evans note some of the earliest signs of spring. What signs of spring have you seen while out and about, or among our photos on the website? Try capturing the moment you saw some of these \u2013 how did it make you feel? You could use haiku form or work this into a longer poem.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

4.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Robert Frost\u2019s sonnet describes his love of one aspect of spring (planting seeds and the anticipation of their growing) in close detail. Pick one thing you love about spring and consider the details of it very carefully. Perhaps it\u2019s a particular routine, plant, or the weather. You could write a sonnet describing why you enjoy it \u2013 and like Frost, what your friends or family think of it!<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

5.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Jane Seabourne equates the spring cleaning ritual \u2013 via a beautiful dress \u2013 with butterflies emerging from hibernation. Have you noticed wildlife activity changing in the last few weeks? Does it mirror any changes to human behaviour in the spring \u2013 recreational or work routines, for example?<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

6.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

In Spring Funeral<\/em>, Jeff Phelps uses the arrival of courting frogs to articulate a sense of loss. Do you have a view of spring which is different to the celebrations of hope and cheer? Looking to the changing landscapes around us for inspiration, can you describe why?<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

7.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

In his poem from A Shropshire Lad, <\/em>A.E. Housman famously describes his love for cherry trees. Are you looking forward to seeing any particular plant, animal, or human activity happening in our countryside? Explain why it appeals to you.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/div>

8.<\/h3><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Think about some of the spring festivals and celebrations which happen in rural communities near you, or that you\u2019ve been to in the past. Try to remember the sights, smells, and sounds. How do these celebrations support the communities involved? What purpose do they serve in modern times?<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n